Review Fix Exclusive: Stuart Hollinger Talks ‘Eklectic’ And More

Review Fix chats with singer and guitarist Stuart Hollinger, who discusses his new album “Eklectic,” as well as his origins in music, creative process and more.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Stuart Hollinger: Music greeted me at an early age. My Uncle’s would play their ukulele’s and sing at family party get-together’s which exposed me to my first taste of music. I started singing Beatles and Rolling Stones songs in the shower after hearing them on the radio.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Hollinger: I start my creative juices by fooling around on my guitar. Just playing different chord patterns to different beats and letting it flow. When I find something I like I’ll start structuring and crafting it into a potential song. Words are conceived by events which have happened to me or are happening around me or someone sharing their story.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Hollinger: My family inspires me! Mother Nature nurtures and inspires me. Where I live is like a National Geographic moment 24/7. The sound of nature is deafening and blocks out distorted, negative thought patterns and the everyday rat race. Makes it easy for uninterrupted ideas to pop into my head.

Review Fix: What’s your standout song on this album? Why?

Hollinger: Picking out my most standout song on this album is hard. They all have great qualities! I guess I would select “Not Once.” This song describes and talks about the rampant drug use invading small town USA and how we need to stop it from spreading. I wanted this song to be the vehicle to bring awareness and hopefully change.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Hollinger: I play and love Rock-n-Roll. Living in the Hawaiian islands has exposed me to all musical styles however I always return to my first love. My music is a cross section of my musical influences. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Tom Petty to name a few. Storytelling infused with some killer beats!

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Hollinger: Unlike a studio environment where everything can be pretty much sterile and unforgiving, Live shows enable me to open up and give it away! It allows me to connect with the audience more intimately and I have the option to get more creative and free with my song arrangements.

Review Fix: How do you want people to remember this album?

Hollinger: I want people to remember the eclectic nature of this album and how it touches many genres of music! The beat, rhythms and expressive words that tell each story. Maybe a little curious how someone in the middle of the Pacific ocean can be a rocker.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2018?

Hollinger: 2018 so far has been a lot of Fun! Playing live with my band and writing new songs for my next album. Just working on improving my craft on all levels.

Review Fix: What’s next? Anything else you’d like to add?

Hollinger: New album in 2019…….more Fun live playing………..No Regrets.

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Patrick Hickey Jr. is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief, Master Jedi and Grand Pooh-bah of ReviewFix.com and is the author of the book, "The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews with Cult and Classic Video Game Developers," from leading academic and non-fiction publisher McFarland and Company. He is currently the Assistant Director of the Journalism Program at Kingsborough Community College and is a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and a National Video Games Writer at the late Examiner.com. He has also had articles and photos published in The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Complex and The Syracuse Post-Standard. Love him. Read him.